


Show and Tell -- a TLC fic

by Foxen



Series: Cheirophilia [8]
Category: The Mandalorian (LadyIrena AU), The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: A hint of backstory, Fluff and Angst, Games as teaching, Hide and Seek, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, anxiety attack, din starts putting puzzle pieces together, i think, probably a little more fluff than angst, respecting boundaries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:08:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23834365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxen/pseuds/Foxen
Summary: “Sixty. Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight…”Din hears the Child giggle from somewhere in the tall grass before he scampers off, the undergrowth rustling in his wake. Din quickly loses track of him, however; he’s distracted by the way the tension in Corin’s body slowly increases as he counts down.Din starts putting things together and the picture he's coming up with isn't pretty.
Relationships: Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) & Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret), Corin the Stormtrooper (Rescue and Regret)/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Series: Cheirophilia [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575679
Comments: 14
Kudos: 172





	Show and Tell -- a TLC fic

**Author's Note:**

> Guys I am sooooo sorry for the wait on this. April was a Hell month....and yet it somehow seemed to slip by without me even noticing it much. School is over now for me though...Just took my first exam today! Only one more test and an essay to go....I also managed to seriously mess up my left wrist which has made typing a bit of a bitch...I think it's getting better? 
> 
> I just want to preface this piece by saying three quick things:
> 
> 1) This is the last TLC before the next large part of the series! Yay!! And even better, things will actually start heating up in the next part! -waggles eyebrows- There are scenes coming up that I have been wanting to write for WEEKS now...
> 
> 2) Corin's backstory is inspired but only lightly influenced by what LadyIrena has written -- and only up to a certain point in her series. (I have personally only read up to chapter 15 or so of Family and Home...oops?) We don't have plans on going into many details, either, as our series progresses, but that's not to say that what Corin experienced doesn't have a lasting impact on him now, as some of you have already picked up on.
> 
> 3) I feel like we should give you an idea of where our own series is in the timeline in relation to Canon and LI's series. Long before LI stated that her series picks up after episode 3 of the show, I had already slotted this series after episode 4. Additionally, this series splinters off of LI's just after Corin breaks his collarbone and is reunited with the Child and Din, but before they meet Paz and Raga. Finally, there are a few 'prologue' fic ideas floating around my head that take place immediately after that splinter off point and before part one of this series. If this is at all confusing and you would like a timeline diagram, let me know la;dsfk
> 
> Thank you so much for your patience and keeping up with this little [ha] series and I hope you are all well and taking care of yourselves.
> 
> <3/Fox
> 
> i also sorry  
> started new meds  
> no like no sleep  
> hell month hell month hell month
> 
> \- Nova <3

They land on a little planet far from the last one they had been on, which in turn had been far from the planet before that, and the one before that. Din figures it is about time they landed again, too. Not only had the Child been getting restless and overly fussy, but the antsy irritability had started to pass on to Corin as well. Din’s used to planet-hopping, having been doing it for years and years now. This hadn’t even been the longest stretch he had gone without stopping, so he knows that he could’ve easily kept going.

The stop hadn’t been a part of the plan, but he is no longer flying alone and it didn’t feel like an option to keep going. His decision was further aided by the way he’s got Sorgan on the mind, too. Having a place to stay on solid ground for an extended period of time had been nice and he is surprised at how often his thoughts kept returning to the little hut and the bustling of townsfolk. It’s made him unusually antsy, himself, and figures a short break from flying would do them all good, anyway. Maybe he can come up with a possible place they could stay for a while on, too, while they rested.

Corin doesn’t say anything when Din tells him to strap down or hold onto something, but he does breathe out a deep and relieved sigh when Din opens the ramp and a breeze of crisp, fresh air blows into the ship. Din smiles as Gi’ika leaps down the ramp, the kid toddling after her. Corin grins as he follows the kid and sits with him in the grass some distance from the ship.

During the first hour, Din is too busy setting up for the night -- bringing bedding outside to air out, gathering tinder for a small fire to cook over, among other tasks -- that he doesn’t immediately catch on to what Corin is doing with the little one. He’s used to Corin involving the kid in activities in whatever way he can, so it’s not unusual for him to find Corin instructing the kid to do this or how to do that.

He catches bits and pieces of Corin’s voice as he grabs the last bit of the bedding to lay out before heading down the ramp. He hears the tail end of him saying, “...Roll away. Just roll away,” and the kid starts giggling. Looking around after he sets the bedding down, he sees Corin drop to a crouch before rolling away in a damn good dodge roll to the side. The kid tumbles after him in a fit of giggles, his ears and feet flailing inelegantly through the air.

Din smiles softly at them and doesn’t think much of it as he sets himself down by a large willowing tree and relaxes into the shade and closes his eyes.

Yeah, they all definitely needed a break.

-o-0-o-

He wakes up to a light pressure against his side. He shifts and looks down to find the kid crouched against him. He sits up, intending to ask the Child what he was up to, and the kid immediately lets out a shriek before turning to run for a new hiding spot. Din blinks after him, a bit perplexed, and then yawns. He grimaces at the drying feeling in his mouth.

Licking his chapped lips, he considers it might be time for a drink, and maybe food, for all of them as well. He stands and walks back towards the ship. As he makes his way up the ramp, he sees Corin chasing after the kid and dragging him back to the sunshine and warm grass.

Quickly, he grabs some dried fruit and nuts from their stores in addition to two canteens of water, a bowl, and a small cup.

As he goes to make his way back outside, he once again overhears Corin talking to the Child.

“When you’re not sure where to hide,” Corin is saying -- Din leans closer to the wall to listen in -- “Just pull the robe over your head, yeah? You’ll look like an empty burlap sack -- you already pretty much do.”

Dyn furrows his brow, but he can hear the kid giggling and he relaxes a little. He steps out onto the ramp and leans against the doorframe, both Corin and the Child too focused on each other to notice him. The kid is trying to lift his robe over his head and Corin just smiles at his attempts, infinitely patient.

“Okay, okay. We’ll find another method for now and work on that one when your arms are a little longer, okay?”

The kid nods eagerly, pulling himself off of the dirt. Corin crouches down to his level and talks softly enough that Din’s helmet can’t make out the words. The kid is watching him intently, focused in a way Din rarely sees him.

Watching the two of them together, things start to click in place for Din as he recalls Corin teaching the Child how to roll, the kid hiding behind him as he slept, and now this. He thinks back further to when Corin would scramble through the ship calling after the kid, the kid getting into places he shouldn’t, hiding in the laundry or around corners or up in the rafters. He had always considered it all to be a game, but maybe it was more than that.

Thoughts racing, he vaguely catches Corin saying something about hide and seek when he moves closer to the ramp. Corin is so good with the kid, always gentle and kind. He’s patient with him and never raises his voice in anger, even when the Child is being a total pain in the ass, and Din is at his wit’s end. His chest grows tight as he thinks about the nonviolent methods of self-defense, the hiding, the gentleness, the way Corin still flinches from unexpected touches on occasion, the comment about needing to know Din is there before being touched.

He starts getting a pretty good idea of what Corin’s childhood might have looked like and it makes him clench his fists as a strong desire to hit things washes over him.

Corin has settled in at the bottom of the ramp, one leg braced on the ramp itself, the other hanging over the edge. Din can’t see his face from where he’s standing at the top, but Din assumes his eyes are closed as he starts counting down from sixty, loud and clear.

“Sixty. Fifty-nine. Fifty-eight…”

Din hears the Child giggle from somewhere in the tall grass before he scampers off, the undergrowth rustling in his wake. Din quickly loses track of him, however; he’s distracted by the way the tension in Corin’s body slowly increases as he counts down.

“Thirty-nine. Thirty-eight. Thirty-seven…”

His shoulders are hunched and stiff, his back curling forward. There’s a strain to his voice, subtle enough that Din doubts that anyone but him would even catch it.

“Twenty-five. Twenty-six…”

It’s been a while since Din has seen Corin draw in on himself like this, seemingly unprovoked. It worries him that something as seemingly innocent as a game of hide and seek has caused Corin this kind of distress.

“Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.” Corin’s voice decreases in volume as he counts down from ten until, by the time he’s hit one, he’s almost whispering too soft for Din’s helmet to pick up.

Corin slowly gets to his feet, his motions measured and careful. Din bites at his lip at the fluidity and ease missing from Corin's body. As Corin begins eyeing the surrounding brush for hiding places befitting a knee-high toddler, Din decides he can't sit around when something is obviously wrong.

He clears his throat and begins making his way down the ramp, letting Corin know he's there, despite being sure that Corin is aware of his presence by now.

Corin hums absently in acknowledgment as he searches a patch of tall grass.

"This what they teach you before you became a stormtrooper?" Din asks, knowing he's likely pressing his luck by asking. Corin rarely brings up his past, if ever.

Corin stays quiet for a moment, searching around one of the landing gears. But then he lets out a quiet scoff and shakes his head. "Hardly. I learned this before I even went to training." His voice is flat, giving nothing away.

Din watches as Corin moves on to search another spot, this time a large cluster of bushes a little ways from the ship. He's unsure if he should keep pressing but he’s growing more concerned by the moment.

"Who'd you learn this from, then?" He continues watching Corin hunt for the kid. The tension is gone from his shoulders and he seems more relaxed now, casual. But it's a forced casual, made apparent to Din by the way his body remains too controlled and precise.

Corin turns back towards the ship and makes his way up the ramp. Din follows despite knowing the kid didn't go back in. He's wondering if Corin even heard his question when the man lets out another contemplative hum.

"Taught myself," he says, voice quiet and still oddly flat. "Father and Uncle sure couldn't be bothered to teach me how to defend myself or hide. Too busy teaching me other...things. Hiding and defense would have been...inconvenient." His voice goes funny at the last few words, his tone cracking and finally letting emotion seep through.

Din unconsciously clenches his hands into fists again, his body thrumming with rage and frustration that his suspicions were accurate and that he can't do a damn thing about them. He notes the way Corin's head darts around as he looks for the Child, his motions growing hurried.

Corin's eyes are wide as he lets out a strained chuckle, not looking directly at Din. "He hid pretty well this time, didn't he?"

"Corin…" Din says, trying to keep his voice soothing despite his own growing emotional turmoil.

But either Corin ignores him or doesn't hear him, because he doesn’t acknowledge Din and instead begins frantically searching through the kid's favorite hiding places.

When his searching still yields no Child, Corin lets out a shaky breath. "He knows it's just a game, right?" He asks aloud before his voice goes softer; Din gets the impression that he's no longer talking to him, but to himself. "It's training, yeah, but I thought I was doing okay at keeping it a game... keeping it fun and light. Was it too much? I just wanted to make sure he could keep himself safe…"

Din approaches Corin carefully, keeping his movements slow and as unassuming as possible; he's seen enough of these kinds of episodes to recognize one of Corin's spiraling panic attacks. He figures the first thing he needs to do is break Corin's current line of thinking.

"Corin," he says clearly, telegraphing his advancement as he gently places a hand on Corin's shoulder. Corin turns to him, eyes wide.

"Did I get too intense?" Corin asks, picking up his previous line of thought but asking Din, now, too, instead of just himself.

Din tries to cut in and can't, words and fears tumbling out of Corin's mouth before he can even open his own.

"I didn't scare him, did I? Oh, Maker, what if I did something wrong and I _did_ scare him? Will he still trust me? What if he's afraid of me?" His voice cracks on the last question and Din doesn't know what to do, but his heart is breaking at the terrified earnestness on Corin's face.

Once again, he tries to say _something,_ though he has no idea what, when he catches sight of the Child. The little one is peeking around one of the crates near the ramp, his eyes big and wide, his ears drooping.

"Cooor?" the Child coos, but Corin doesn't hear him, too wrapped up in his thoughts. He's standing with his eyes closed and his arms wrapped around his torso, his head bowed. Din can feel his shoulder shaking under his hand.

Giving his shoulder a very slight shake, Din says, "Corin, he's not afraid of you. You haven't done anything wrong."

Corin whips his head up to look at him, expression still distraught. Tears glisten in the corners of his eyes. "How do you _know?_ " he asks roughly, desperately.

"Because he's right there, wondering whether or not you are okay," Din responds, gesturing with his head in the direction of the ramp. Corin spins around to look, dislodging Din's hand from his shoulder.

"C-coorrr!" the Child chirps, toddling over slowly, his hands reaching towards Corin.

Corin makes a sound that can only be called a whimper as he drops to his knees in front of the Child. The kid scampers to him and he gathers him close to his chest, placing a kiss to the top of his head. He stays like that, curled over the Child, his lips pressed between the kid’s long ears.

Din picks up a whispered litany of, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” from Corin but doesn’t say anything. The words were something Corin needs to say, apparently, and they are directed at the kid, not at Din. The child taps at Corin’s cheek reassuringly, his eyes large and sad and Din aches to reassure _both_ of them, but is unsure how. He stands behind Corin, feeling awkward and intrusive until Corin eventually stops the slight rocking he had been doing and his voice goes quiet.

Slowly, Din makes his way closer to them, intentionally making noise as he does so to alert Corin of his approach. He kneels next Corin, careful not to touch him just yet, and gently takes the kid from his unprotesting grasp.

“I’m just going to set the Child up with some food before he takes a nap, okay?” The Child squeaks in protest and struggles in Din’s grasp, reaching for Corin with outstretched fingers. Din huffs as he readjusts his hold so he doesn’t drop the squirming Child.

“Corin, he’s really not upset. Look, he doesn’t want to leave you.”

Corin glances up and upon seeing the Child reaching for him, takes one of his taloned hands in his. Din sighs before shifting his position and placing a hand on Corin’s cheek.

Directing Corin’s gaze up to meet his through the T-visor, he says, “I’d let you continue holding him, but he needs food and rest and I think you do, too.” He strokes Corin’s cheek with his thumb, wishing he had had a chance to take off his gloves. “How about you go to the bed while I get the kid settled and then I’ll bring you something to drink. Does that sound alright??”

Corin nods, eyes shifting to the side, and Din strokes his cheek one last time before getting up; he resists the urge to kiss the top of his head as he moves away. He strides through the small kitchen area, automatically grabbing a few sticks of fish jerky that poke haphazardly out of a cup on the counter. He passes one to the kid who takes it meekly, ears downturned.

Din sighs again as he moves to the Child’s bed and sets him down amongst his pillows and blankets. The kid looks up at him and coos questioningly.

“Can you stay here for me?” Din asks, not really expecting an answer. “You don’t have to nap but I need to help Corin, okay?” The Child nods solemnly at him, eyes huge and round, both tiny hands holding tightly to the fish in front of him.

Din nods back, supposing that the Child really does understand a lot more than one might expect; he just decides whether or not he feels like responding and when. Din strokes one of the Child’s long ears and mumbles a quiet, “Thank you,” before getting up again.

With one last glance at the Child, Din returns to the kitchenette to mix up a mild cup of Hoth Chocolate, careful to keep the spices to a minimum. He stirs it absently, keeping an eye on Corin out of the corner of his visor. He watches him remove his boots and strip down to his trousers and high collared undershirt before sitting on the bed.

Din sets the spoon down in the small sink and takes the steaming cup to Corin, who has his knees drawn up to his chest and his head facing away from Din. Din pauses at the side of the bed as he catches sight of Corin’s shoulders shaking minutely. Biting his lip, he sets the cup on the small ledge that serves as a nightstand before stripping off his beskar plates. He sits down next to Corin and takes off his helmet and gloves, setting them next to the mug, before reaching out to Corin.

He doesn’t pull him to him just yet, just tugs lightly as his shirt to get his attention. When Corin looks at him, he tugs again and Corin unfurls only to curl against his chest. Din holds him close, one hand anchoring him to him and the other running up and down his back.

After a while, Din lightly clicks his tongue before quietly saying, “You didn’t deserve that.”

“What,” Corin says, voice flat and hoarse.

Din takes a chance. “What you went through. Growing up.”

Corin tenses against him, his fingers curling into the fabric of Din’s shirt. Voice rougher and softer than before, he says, “You don’t know what I went through.”

Din holds back yet another sigh. “Doesn’t matter,” he says. “I can guess. And you didn’t deserve it.”

Corin shakes his head against Din’s shoulder. “Must’ve,” he scoffs.

Now it’s Din’s turn to shake his head. “You were a child, Corin,” he says, “Whatever it was they did to you or made you do, you didn’t deserve it.”

“I--”

"Corin. You wouldn't put the kid through the same things you went through, would you?" Din asks in a desperate attempt to make his point.

Corin pulls away and stares at him, horrified. " _Kriff_ , no! Of course not! Din, he's just a child, he's just a _kid--"_ his voice cuts off and he stares at Din, eyes huge as he makes the connection Din was hoping he would.

"Exactly," Din says, his voice hushed as he gently brushes a lock of hair off Corin's forehead. Corin's eyes fill with tears as they dart over Din's face.

“You didn’t deserve it,” Din repeats softly and the tears spill down Corin’s cheeks as his face crumples. He grasps at Din’s sleeves tightly and Din draws him forward against him again. Stroking his hair, he gives in to his earlier urge and presses a kiss to the crown of his head. Corin cries silently against him and Din can feel his shirt dampen.

After a while, Din shifts them until he’s leaning against the ship wall, Corin sprawled against him, quiet and still. He doesn’t stop stroking his hair and instead, he plays with the loose curls.

Eventually, Corin whispers against Din’s shirt, his voice hesitant, “No one's going to teach the little one to kill, right?” His voice cracks slightly and he clears his throat before continuing. “Just love? You and I will teach him how to love and stay safe and defend himself, but never to kill and attack... right?"

Din wraps his arms around Corin tighter, his heart aching, “Yeah. Just love. Always love.” A movement out of the corner of his eye catches his attention and he shifts to get a better look. The Child is curiously looking at them from his own bed, Gi’ika’s head popping out from under his ears. Din’s eyes meet with the Child’s and he nods slightly before stating, “We’ll make sure of it.”

The kid blinks at him slowly as Gi’ika hops down from the cot. The kid coos and follows her, his blankets falling down after him. He shuffles towards them with blankets in tow, the sog trailing behind him to pick up one of the blankets he drops.

Eventually, the Child makes it over to Din’s and Corin’s bedside. He reaches up to the edge before pulling himself up, getting a small nudge of assistance from Gi’ika. He’s got his steel ball in hand, still hauling his blankets behind him, and tumble’s over their legs to get to Corin. Once there, the Child curls against Corin’s side. The kid presents his steel ball to Corin, and a small smile stretches unchecked across Corin’s face as he takes the ball. He then pulls the kid close and cuddles him to his chest.

Gi’ika hops up, too, dragging the dropped blanket behind her. She lets it go and plops herself against Din’s hip. The two small beings bracket Corin and Din in the bed and Din feels oddly comforted by having them both there like that.

Soon enough, the little one drifts asleep, still curled tightly against Corin’s chest. Din remains awake, running his hand through Corin’s hair, lost in thought.

He thinks Corin is asleep until he hears him mumble softly, ”Where are we goin’ next?”

“Hmm…” Din supposes he should pick somewhere they can settle into for a while. He isn’t entirely sure where until he recalls his earlier thoughts of Sorgan and how at peace he’d felt in the small village those few weeks he had lived there. He doesn’t know if it’s wise to double back, but the thought of staying in the small trading town is too enticing to pass up.

Mind made up, he says, “I think we’ll head to a little backwater skughole called Sorgan.”

“Never heard of it.”

“That’s the point. It was one of the first places I took the kid...we should be able to stay there for a few weeks, at least.”

Corin sighs against him, breath blowing at the hairs on his arms. “Thank the stars...I have to admit, I was getting… kinda tired of planet-hopping every few days.” His voice is weary and tired sounding, and Din winces, wishing he had realized the toll the constant traveling had been taking on Corin.

“I’m sorry,” Din apologizes. “It’s...it’s the nature of being a bounty hunter.”

“Oh, I know. It’ll just be nice to stay in one place with you for a while, is all.”

Din’s heart warms at that, and he clears his throat as he shifts against the pillows to get comfortable. “Yeah. Yeah, it does sound nice.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Kudos and comments are most welcome! Seriously, they really keep us motivated to keep working on this during these rough times <3
> 
> Just a reminder that we have a few fics about Din and Corin under a different series name that take place in the semi distant future of this series!


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